Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy - this week, Giggleswick and Settle

GIGGLESWICK is a large village with Norse origins and Settle is a small town inhabited first by the Angles.

The two separated by the River Ribble have long been rivals. They seem to have arrived at an agreement and Giggleswick has the ancient church and Settle the market.

It is best to begin the day at Giggleswick, which is a charming village with cottages festooned with roses, a renowned public school and a fine old church. The village was the home of the late Russell Harty who, before his television career, was a teacher at Giggleswick School.

Giggleswick Church has an unusual dedication. St Alkelda, according to legend, was a Saxon princess living near Middleham, in Wensleydale, whose church is also dedicated to this Christian lady.

Although there is no documentary proof, it is suggested that Alkelda was killed by Danish women because they did not agree with her Christian beliefs.

The present church dates mainly to the late 15th century but the list of vicars displayed inside takes us back more than two centuries before this. It is thought that an earlier church was destroyed by marauding Scots in 1319.

Although there was a major reconstruction around 1890, the main character and fittings of the church were retained.

Look out for the rather battered effigies of Dame Sibill and Dame Mabel, the two wives of Sir Richard Tempest, the 15th lord of the area. It is also said that the old battler had his war horse buried in the church grounds.

Also commemorated in the church is George Birkbeck, the founder of the mechanics institutes. The college which was named after him is now part of London University. Settle can match Giggleswick in having two famous sons, both commemorated by plaques set into the wall of a bank.

The TSB has Benjamin Wough, the founder of the Royal Society for the Protection of Children, and the National Westminster has a plaque to Dr Buck. It is not the doctor who is famous but his house (now the bank) which was frequently visited by his friend Edward Elgar, the composer.

The two men walked the Dales using Settle as a base and it is possible to buy a footpath guide book called the Elgar Trail from the tourist information office.

Although Settle had its wise men, it also produced a pretty impressive fool. Preston built a magnificent 17th century mansion but spent all of his money on the exterior. He had nothing left to spend on the interior and the impressive-looking building is now used as an antiques showroom, which at least gives the interior some much-needed character. The approach to Settle suggests that the town ought to have a castle - it has the next best thing, however, in the form of a rock which towers over the town.

Castleberg is well named and often has a flag flying on its summit, which is reached via a winding footpath leading up from the town and close to Preston's Folly. I love Settle, whatever the day or the time of year, but on a warm late September day with the market in fill swing is a real tonic. The stalls are erected in front of the Shambles, which is a pillared building now used by shops.

It was once the slaughter houses for the area and hence the very descriptive name.

I bought fresh bread, farm butter, cheese, tomatoes and local raspberries before following the Elgar trail up on to the limestone grasslands.

There is nothing like a picnic on a warm day with a slight breeze.

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